The Yucatan Experience
…Along the Mayan Route
11 DAYS (Incl. a Yucatecan dinner) $1,079 PER PERSON* (Incl. Return Air)
A fantastic tour! En route spend two nights in Veracruz and two nights in Merida with an included flight back to the Rio GrandeValley all of which allows you a more relaxed Yucatan Experience. This tour offers something for everyone - from the armchair archaeologist to lovers of warm, tropical breezes. We will hug the coast almost all the way viewing lush, green tropics, eating scrumptious seafood, and gazing upon sparkling blue coastal waters. Each day opens to a new horizon bringing you a deeper understanding of the different regions of Mexico and showing you the influence that the cultures of old have upon the social structure of today. Follow the Mayan Route for an unforgettable experience. Bring your binoculars, wear light weight clothing, and pack a swim suit!
DAY 1 - We begin our journey crossing into Mexico, traveling through lands rich in sorghum fields and cattle ranges, arriving into Soto La Marina for our lunch stop. Soon the landscape becomes more tropical as we approach Tampico. Before checking in, visit Miramar beach comparing it to our Texas Gulf Coast. Our hotel sits very near the main square, where it seems all the world must meet. Nearby are local fruit juice stands and a Mexican bakery with mouth watering goodies. Walk across the Plaza to the Cathedral. Or visit the nearby restored historical square with lacy wrought iron balconies that have earned a new name for Tampico - “the New Orleans of Mexico”. Overnight at the Mansion Real in Tampico.
DAY 2 - After your included breakfast, you will cross the Panuco River on the tallest bridge in Mexico from which vantage point you can see the three ports that serve Tampico and the adjoining city of Cd. Madero. Lush vegetation and later mango orchards mingling with the coconut groves surrounding thatched roof houses welcome you to the state of Veracruz. Tropical plants sold as pot plants at home grow as tall as the eaves. Arrive around noon to the Ruins of El Tajin. The best known structure is the Pyramid of the 365 Niches, boasting the same number of niches as days in the year. There is a total of seven ball courts, one of which has a BAS relief showing a player being sacrificed. Archaeologists are not certain if the winners or the losers lost their lives. Perhaps the Voladores (the Flying Indians) will be performing their ceremonial dance. Stop in Papantla for a sampling of vanilla where vanilla plantations are found in the nearby dense tropical forests. Arrive into swinging Veracruz where we spend the next two nights. Overnight at the Hotel Novo Mar in Veracruz.
DAY 3 - All day to enjoy the sights of carefree, spirited Veracruz. You may choose to explore on your own. Those not so adventurous will begin the city tour with a visit to the busy and colorful market where everything from kittens to cabbages are for sale. Visit San Juan de Ulua, an island fortress often used as a prison but now a most interesting museum. After lunch, visit Boca del Rio, a small community adjoining Veracruz where every other building is a restaurant selling seafood. Return to Veracruz with free time to ride the trolley around town, visit the aquarium, walk on the beach or just relax on the square. Go with your guide tonight to the Plaza where night and day marimba players entertain under each arcade. Overnight at the Hotel Novo Mar in Veracruz.
DAY 4 - Travel through the Tuxtlas, through a tobacco growing region and center for the cigar industry and into charming Santiago Tuxtla with its colossal 18 ton Olmec head perched in the center of the main plaza. Arrive into beautiful Catemaco where our hotel is situated right on the shores of Lake Catemaco, considered one of the most beautiful lakes in all of Mexico. After lunch, take an included boat ride with time to explore downtown after our return. Beware! Catemaco is known for its annual International Witches Festival. Overnight at La Finca in Catemaco.
DAY 5 - It will be difficult to leave this paradise. Our road climbs up and around the lake. Before long we are in the oil boom area and then into Villahermosa. Visit the immensely impressive outdoor archeology museum, La Venta, where deer, monkeys, jaguars, and crocodiles mingle with the twenty eight enormous Olmec sculptures. The Olmec Culture, going back to 1200 B.C., and known as the mother culture, comprises the oldest known civilization in the Americas. The Olmecs possesed a basic writing system and were knowledgeable in astronomy. Now to the Carlos Pellicer Museum which houses one of the most excellent collections of Pre-Colombian art in the country. Optional and if time permits, you may relax as you sip a favorite beverage on a boat ride down the majestic Rio Grijalva which continues deep into the highland rain forests of Chiapas. Overnight at the Calinda Viva in Villahermosa.
DAY 6 - Arrive at the most mystical of ruins - Palenque - where the lush jungle encroaching on the ancient pyramids and palaces makes for an enchantingly beautiful place. This religious and political center, whose heyday was between A.D. 600-800, boasts the most uniquely detailed stucco ornamentation and sculpture of the Mayan civilization. Like other central Mayan cities Palenque was suddenly and inexplicably abandoned in the 9th century. Be sure you are cool and comfortable today as you tour these most impressive ruins. Local birders say this is a wonderful area to observe tropical birds. Afternoon is free for those who wish to explore more of the ruins, explore the town of Palenque, bird watch or perhaps swim in the clear cool waters of the Chacamax River flowing right by our hotel. Overnight at the Calinda Viva Nututun at Palenque.
DAY 7 - Leave the beauty of Palenque behind as we continue on the Mayan Route traveling into the Yucatan Peninsula. Part of the route hugs the Gulf Coast where we stop to search for sea shells. High on a hillside just outside of Campeche sits one of the eight forts that at one time protected the city from raiding pirates. Continue into Merida stopping en route to admire the finely woven Panama hats that are woven in damp underground caves. Free night to take a buggy ride around town or to stroll up to the nearby plaza. Overnight at the Hotel Los Aluxes in Merida.
DAY 8 - This morning, drive to Celestun, a small fishing village on the coast. This wildlife refuge, only one and a half hour’s drive from Merida, provides a haven for one of the largest colonies of flamingos in the Americas. The visit remains one of the highlights of this tour. Take photographs of large flocks as they paint the sky in pink or rest in the green waters of the estuary where they feed on the rich micro-organisms. This most enjoyable addition of Celestun includes a boat ride for a closer look at the flamingos. Return to Merida for lunch. Afternoon city tour visiting Montejo Palace, built in 1549, with its richly adorned facade and the Cathedral, the oldest in Mexico, constructed with many stones taken from Mayan ruins. Time to buy a traditional Yucatecan "guayabera" shirt or a hand woven hammock in the local market. Tonight dinner is inluded at a very well known Yucatecan restaurant serving all the better known Yucatecan dishes. Your guide will help with selections. Why not sample “pibil” or “pocchuck” or even “lime soup”. Overnight at the Hotel Aluxes in Merida. D
DAY 9 - Visit the remains of the magnificent Mayan City of Uxmal composing the most complete complexes of Pre-Columbian architecture in all of Mexico. Some of the majestic buildings we will see are the Pyramid of the Magician, the Temple of the Turtles, and the Pyramid of the Old Woman. Tonight after dinner, walk the moonlight path to view the included Light and Sound Show said to be second only to the one in Egypt. Overnight at the Hacienda Uxmal at the Ruins of Uxmal.
DAY 10 - Depart for Chichen Itza where we will visit the ruins during the early morning hours. The 265 steps up El Castillo are formidable but offer an unforgettable view of the whole area. See the Sacred Well where it is believed that in times of drought, maidens were sacrificed to appease the rain god Chac. The largest Ball Court in Meso-America is located here. Chichen Itza is a place for looking at everything up close, then standing back and admiring from a distance. After lunch, those who are really into ruins may want to explore on their own. Those not so interested may want to relax around the pool or explore the beautiful grounds of this famous hotel. Overnight at the Hotel Mayaland at the ruins of Chichen Itza.
DAY 11 - It is time to pack up and head home. Transfer to the Merida Airport, flying with your guide back to the Rio Grande Valley where a charter coach delivers you to your pick-up point.
PRICE PER PERSON* DEPARTURE DATES
Single - $1,375 February 21, 2004
Double - $1,079 November 8, 2004
Triple - $ 999
Departs from Brownsville at 6:00a.m.; from Harlingen at 6:30a.m.; from Weslaco at 7:00a.m.; from McAllen at 7:30a.m.; and from Mission at 8:00a.m.
*PLUS the Mexican Visa fee. We will help you obtain your visa!
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